


I'm in Love With You

by Basketballer3511



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Internalized Homophobia, Love Confessions, M/M, Pam is the best, Starts at the end of season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23631529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basketballer3511/pseuds/Basketballer3511
Summary: Everyone knows the famous scene between Jim and Pam, where Jim confesses his love to Pam. Instead of Pam though, it is Dwight who Jim confesses his love to.
Relationships: Brief Angela Martin/Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert/Dwight Schrute
Comments: 33
Kudos: 88





	1. Told Him I loved Him

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Guys! I love the scene where Jim confesses his love to Pam, so obviously I imagined what it would be like if he confessed to Dwight instead and thus this work was created. Hope you guys enjoy it! Comments and Kudos are deeply appreciated, thank you!

"Bye Pam, Bye Roy" Jim waved goodbye to the retreating car. He stood there for a couple minutes, hands in his pockets. "Pam leave?" Dwight's self-assured voice asked from behind him. 'Uh yeah" Jim replied, shaking himself from his thoughts. "What's wrong with you" Dwight asked, a sneer on his face. Jim looked at Dwight with a hopeless expression. Jan's voice had been ringing in his head for the last, several minutes, thus the reason for his preoccupied thoughts. 

"Have you told anyone?" "No" he replied. "Well you should" she said, crushing the cigarette under her foot. Jim knew she was right. He was going to leave Scranton, eventually he would have to tell people. He didn't know why he was so scared. Well that would be a lie. He did know why. He was leaving his best friend Pam and of course the main reason for his departure was that he was leaving as a coward because he couldn't handle seeing the love of his life with someone else. 

Dwight sneered once more and let out an irritated sigh, "I'm leaving, since you're not going to tell me what's wrong with you. Idiot" he declared. He didn't know why he had even stayed out here with Jim and his stupid, annoying face. He had more important things to do, like enjoy the night with his secret girlfriend Angela. Well it wasn't exactly them enjoying the night together since Angela forbid him from letting them be in a public relationship. It was more of them sending one another furtive glances and tentative touches and her scolding him if he tried to show any affection. 

Jim got out of his trance when he saw Dwight turning around. "Dwight wait. I was just... I'm in love with you" he said, his voice coming out in a pained whisper. "What" Dwight asked, his eyes wide in shock. This was definitely not what he had been expecting Jim to say to him ever in any kind of circumstance. "I'm really sorry if that's weird for you to hear. But I just needed you to hear it. Probably not good timing. I know that. I just..." Jim said, his voice strained. He was blinking fast, trying to not let tears escape his eyes. 

"What are you doing" Dwight yelled, the shock still bearing down on him. "What do you expect me to say to that?" he asked with furrowed brows. Jim wiped his eyes, the tears were clouding his vision now and a few had escaped, racing down his face. "I just needed you to know once" Jim said, the corner of his mouth lifting up. Dwight grabbed the sides of hair, a confused and shocked look on his face. "What are you doing?" he yelled again. Jim winced at the tone of Dwight's voice. "I'm- I'm with Angela" he said, "and I'm not gay. Especially for you Jim, you're my enemy" he spat out, starting to pace, his hands still grasping his hair with a strong grip. 

Jim stood there, letting Dwight yell at him. He knew telling Dwight would probably end like this, but he had to do it. It was his only chance to ever let his true feelings be known. Dwight stopped yelling at Jim, noting that Jim wasn't saying anything back to him. Dwight stormed off rushing to the building. Jim watched Dwight leave. He sat down on the curb, rubbing his hands back and fourth on his slacks. He put his head in his hands, blocking out the noise from the casino night and the occasional cars that drove by.

Back in the building, Dwight made his way up to the second floor, entering the office. He scrambled over to Jim's desk which was closest and grabbed the phone. He quickly dialed the one person who he could trust with this and one of the people he considered a friend in this office. "Pam" Dwight cried out. "Jim just told me he loved me" Dwight said, the shock still evident in his voice. "Dwight" Pam said, surprised Dwight was calling her. "When did it happen" she asked, doing her best to talk in a soothing voice so that Dwight would tell her what happened. 

"About ten minutes ago" Dwight said, pushing his hair back and clutching his forehead. "Did you say it back?" she asked. Dwight paused for a second, surprised that she was asking him that. "No, I didn't know what to say" he admitted, slumping his body down against the desk and twisting his fingers through the phone cord. "Do you think you at least like him back?" she gently asked. "Um, I don't know, Pam" he said, his voice sounded defeated. "I love Jim and he's one of my best friends so I'm a little biased, but Dwight, Jim was telling the truth. This wasn't some prank or anything. He loves you for real" Pam told him, hoping this insight would help Dwight's muddled feelings. Dwight sat there in silence, trying to grasp Pam's words. "Dwight, you still there?" Pam's voice called out over the phone. "Yeah, yeah. I'm still here. I-" he started to say, but was cut off when he saw Jim walk in. "Um, I have to go. I'll talk with you later" Dwight quickly rushed out, slamming the phone down on the receiver. 

He sprang up from the desk, facing Jim ready to attack if he needed to. "Listen Jim" Dwight started his sentence but was cut off when Jim's lips suddenly connected with his. His "what?" was lost in the kiss and to his surprise he actually was kissing Jim back and had even reached up to place both his hands on the side of Jim's face. He lightly grabbed Jim's hair, the strands were surprisingly smooth and brushed through his fingers with ease. Being this close to Jim and kissing him was overwhelming for Dwight. His sweater rubbed briskly against Dwight's right hand that wandered down to clutch Jim's sweater. His lips were soft and fit over Dwight's. Jim held onto Dwight, securing his arms around the other man, rubbing his hand over Dwight's lower back. 

Dwight started to pull back, pushing his hand lightly against Jim's shoulder. Jim chased after Dwight's lips, ducking down trying to recapture their lips together. "Jim" Dwight whispered, resting his forehead against Jim's. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that" Jim said, grabbing ahold of Dwight's hands, a grin on his face. Dwight looked up, smiling slightly. "I didn't hate that" Dwight admitted, squeezing Jim's hand. 

"I think we're just drunk" Dwight suddenly said. Jim's eyes widened, "no, I'm not drunk. Are you drunk?" he asked, his brows furrowed. "No" Dwight softly replied, his eyes wide. Jim smiled at this and reached forward. "Jim" Dwight said again, blinking rapidly. Jim straightened up, his taller frame forcing Dwight to look up at him. "Do you really love her?" Jim questioned. Dwight stared at him, before tentatively nodding. "Okay" Jim said. He started backing away, his fingers unlacing from Dwight's. For some reason Dwight couldn't let go of Jim's hands. He held on, before eventually Jim slipped away, his back retreating out of the office door.


	2. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight deals with the aftermath of Jim leaving.

Dwight sank onto the floor, putting his face into his folded knees. He felt immobile and his emotions felt so muddled. The door suddenly opened. Dwight looked up hoping it was Jim, but instead it was Angela. "What are you doing in here and on the floor?" Angela's curt voice asked, her mouth curled up in disgust. Dwight started mumbling out a response, but luckily for him she was already making her way to her desk. "Want to meet at my house?" Angela asked, looking up at him from her eyelashes. Dwight stood there motionless, he looked like he was going to vomit and frankly he felt like he was going to. "I'm really tired Angela and I feel kind of sick" Dwight admitted to her. Angela rolled her eyes, "that's why you don't gamble. It makes you sick" she said matter of factly. Dwight nodded, but he wasn't really processing any of her words. He just wanted to go home and try to figure out everything he was feeling. 

Dwight returned to work the next week with the news that Jim was gone. All packed up and already in Stamford, working for Josh Porter's branch. Pam came up to Dwight and gave him a hug after he found out the news. "You okay?" she asked, her face filled with worry. "Yeah" Dwight whispered, patting her on the back. 

After a few days without Jim, Dwight started to evaluate how much he missed his presence. He missed the stupid pranks, the dumb questions, and the bickering. He missed Jim, plain and simple. The temp was okay, but he was boring, had no personality or the charm that Jim possessed. Pam's face was crestfallen most of the time. She missed her best friend and she hated seeing Dwight look so miserable. He walked around with stubble most of the time and just yesterday she saw him wearing a shirt with a bunch of wrinkles on it, which normal Dwight would never allow. 

"Did you tell her?" Pam asked, about a week after Jim had left. "Who? Angela?" Dwight asked, staring down at his food. "Yeah" Pam confirmed. He shook his head no, how could he? He barely could admit it to himself, let alone to Angela who thought there was no greater sin then being gay or being a cat hater. Pam reached for his hand, "you can always call him. Get some closure or something" she told him. Dwight looked up and pursed his lips. He could, but what would he even say to Jim? 

Dwight set out to figure out what his feelings toward Jim were, but he also was avoiding the confrontation so he consumed himself with work and by the time he got home and finished working on the farm, he would just pass out on his bed and wake up early the next day to start the same routine. Jim kept his life interesting, everyday would be different and kept Dwight on his toes so that he never sunk into a routine. With no distractions though, Dwight felt like he was living in a time loop, a very dull one at that. 

"Dwight what the hell?" Angela yelled at him, pushing her hand harshly against his chest. "Why aren't you showing me any interest lately" she asked, a hurt expression on her face, that was quickly replaced with a scowl. Dwight tried to come up for an excuse for his disinterest, but there was no lie that he could come up with that would fully capture why he had been so down. She huffed before getting up and making her way out of the door. "Don't talk to me unless it's about work, until you figure this out" she said. Dwight watched her retreat and just like with Jim he didn't do anything. He just stayed there, unable to move. 

Sitting alone on his couch, the house completely silent Dwight thought about Jim. He remembered how it felt to be kissed by Jim, to be held by him so tenderly. Jim loved him. He couldn't believe it, even though both Jim and Pam had confirmed this. Jim was a charming flirt, who Dwight had to admit was fairly attractive. Dwight didn't think he was ugly, but he knew he didn't compare to Jim in terms of looks or charm. Jim loved him, he repeated to himself. He slouched down on the couch, rubbing his tired eyes. He missed Jim, he didn't know if he loved Jim, but he definitely wanted Jim with him, bothering him, kissing him. He wanted that and he was furious at himself for letting Jim get into his head, but he couldn't help it. He was angry that even though he had the perfect woman with Angela, he craved Jim and his arms wrapped around him. What was he doing? Was he really going to throw away his relationship for a guy who was his enemy and who was in another state?

Dwight was a weak man and no matter how much he kid himself pretending to be the tough guy. he needed Jim. He cared for Angela, but as soon as Jim kissed him, all those feelings of love for her were gone and replaced with a confusing want for Jim. He reached for his phone that had been tossed onto the table. He rubbed the smooth surface, contemplating whether or not to call Jim. He felt a rush of adrenaline that he hadn't felt since Jim had left, he quickly flipped open the phone scrolling down and hovering the cursor over the name Jim. It felt like hours of Dwight staring at the screen, the white light casting a glow over his face.

He suddenly flipped his phone close. He couldn't do it. Who did he think he was calling Jim, while he was in Stamford. Pam's voice rung out in his ears telling him to call Jim for closure. He let out a pfft. Jim was the one who needed closure, he was the one who fled Scranton, not Dwight. Dwight laid back into the couch, his hand still gripping his phone. He sat there waiting for the courage to either call Jim or just let all of this go.


	3. Stamford

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, but I wanted a filler chapter that gave the p.o.v of Jim and provided us with some Jim angst lol. A longer chapter will be uploaded tomorrow! Thanks for reading guys!

Jim sank back into his chair, tapping his pencil rhythmically against his desk. The sounds of his Stamford co-workers making sales calls filled his ears. It was nice here. Calm, no distractions. It also meant no Pam to go over to and pop jellybeans into his mouth, while they plotted a prank against Dwight or talked about whatever annoying thing Roy had done or said. He was lucky to talk with Pam over the phone, but it just wasn't the same. There definitely was no Michael, yelling into his ear or telling them dumb stories. He missed his old boss. He also missed his desk mate. He missed Dwight. But Dwight probably didn't miss him, he probably hated Jim more. 

Jim put himself out there, twice actually and Dwight rejected him. He couldn't help himself that night, Dwight was so close to him and he looked so dorky in his tux, so he went for it. Dwight never knew how to have personal space. Always getting close to Jim's face when he had something to say to him. That's probably why he fell in love with Dwight. The mere exposure effect says that even if you hate someone, when you have lots of proximity with them, your chances actually starting to like them increases. It really fucked Jim over because he didn't just stop hating and getting annoyed with Dwight, he fell in love with him. 

He was so in love with him that he couldn't bear to see him in love with someone else. Being away from him wasn't that much better. He put on a happy face and tried to be the happy, go lucky Jim he always was. He still was that Jim and sometimes made appearances though the day, but beneath it all Jim was struggling. He was exhausted- mentally and physically. Simple task felt like he was walking through mud, food seemed to lose its taste. It was of course worse when he was in Scranton, seeing Dwight and Angela with each other, oblivious to Jim watching them. 

Still being in Stamford was tough, a big change, but he was determined to make it work. He tried not to prank, especially after Andy's outburst when Jim had put his stuff in Jello. Dwight got mad and annoyed from Jim's pranks, but it was nothing like the fury that Andy had displayed. He helped Josh out and followed rules to a tea. He had friendly banter with Karen. It was all working out. His heart and brain sometimes disagreed, providing him with such vivid memories of kissing Dwight and Dwight holding onto his hands, not letting him go. 

Stop, he told himself. He was just bringing the same pain upon himself that he had left behind in Scranton. "Hey"Karen greeted, breaking him out of his thoughts. Jim looked up "hey" he politely smiled. "Conference room meeting in 2 min" she said, pointing to the room. He nodded and made his way up from his desk. He saw Mr. Brown, setting up his Diversity Day materials. Jim smiled to himself. What he would do to be in this meeting right now in Scranton. Michael disagreeing to everything, Pam on his side, and seeing Dwight taking in every word that Michael spoke. He shook his head. He had to move on. He could move on, he had no other choice.


	4. The Phone Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I was going to post this tomorrow, but I suddenly had an urge to write so I wrote this. If anyone has any ideas for how I should continue this story, please let me know because I don't know how to tie this all together, so any feedback would be great! Enjoy the chapter!

Dwight slowly made his way into work the next day. He tried to forget his cowardliness last night, sitting on his couch unable to call Jim. He held the phone close to him all evening, flipping and closing the phone, staring at the name, but he just wasn't able to take the final step and click on the name and press call. 

He made eye contact with Pam as she walked in, hanging her pink coat on the coat rack. She gave him a small smile, her brows become furrowed in worry, when she saw Dwight's red rimmed eyes and the frown on his face. She made her way over to his desk and leaned against it. It was still fairly empty in the office so she was able to talk with him, without anyone eavesdropping. "Hey Dwight you okay?" she asked in a tentative whisper. Dwight looked up at her, "I almost called him last night" he admitted, "but I was too weak and I just couldn't" he said, pursing his lips in disappointment. "Oh Dwight" Pam said, moving to put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, you're not weak, we all have things we sometimes can't do" she told him. Dwight stared into space, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. He reached up to cover his hand over Pam's. "I miss him and I shouldn't" he whispered. Pam nodded, "I miss him too" she agreed, "but you guys have been working together for so long and have a lot of history together, plus he did confess his love to you, so it's okay to miss him" she concluded. He looked up at her once again and smiled, "thanks" he said to her. She smiled back and patted his shoulder, "no problem, I better go back. I can hear Michael's voice from the hallway." With that Dwight began to unpack his things, starting a day of work.

"Hey Dwight you coming to eat?" Pam asked, lunchbox in hand. "I think I'm going to finish some work and eat" he told her. Pam frowned, but nodded. "Okay, I'll be in the break room if you decide to come." Dwight nodded and smiled at her. Everyone was either in the kitchen or the break room for lunch, so the office was quiet, except for a some infrequent phone calls. Dwight stared at his computer screen, unable to absorb any of the information he was reading. He let out a huff and laid back in his chair. He glanced at his work phone, it seemed to taunt him as he just sat there. He let out a huff, before seizing the phone off of its receiver. 

He typed in Jim's new extension, which he may or may not have searched in the morning, during a moment of weakness. "Can't go back now" he thought, as the phone started to ring. After the initial surge of adrenaline, Dwight's mind started to clear up and he started thinking about what a huge mistake he was making. With the phone ringing past 2 rings, he was becoming antsy and was ready to end the call, but he stayed on just in case. 

After 5 rings, Jim's confident voice greeted Dwight. "Hello, this is Jim can I help you? " he asked. Dwight froze, he held his breath and was unable to respond. "Hello?" Jim's voice called out. "Jim " Dwight said, his voice coming out in a gasp. "Oh my god" Jim yelled. He was absolutely shocked that out of all the people calling him it was Dwight. Dwight sat paralyzed in his chair, unable to form words, but he let out a choked "H-how are you?" "I'm fine" Jim responded, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his forehead. "I didn't think you'd answer" Dwight admitted, "I was going to hang up." Jim slightly smiled at this, "I finished eating early and I was just walking back to my desk, that's why I took so long" Jim told him. Dwight nodded before realizing Jim couldn't see him. "That's good" he responded. Jim let out a chuckle, "yeah i'm glad you called" he admitted, hoping he wasn't being too bold by saying that. "How's Stamford?" Dwight asked. "It's nice" Jim settled on that. "My desk has a view so it's been good." "Nice" Dwight responded, feeling awkward, but he had called Jim for a reason and he was going to stick to it.

"I kind of miss you" Dwight blurted out, surprised at himself for saying that so suddenly. He had wanted to tell Jim that, but in a more subtle way. "Oh wow" Jim said, "I was not expecting that, I miss you too" Jim admitted a smile on his face and his hand pressed to the side of his face. Dwight took a huge gulp of air, his moment of courage had fizzled out and now he felt a little nauseous. "I need to go" and with that smashed his phone down. He pressed his face into his hands and pushed his hair back. What was he doing? 

Jim sat there stupefied, the phone still cradled against his ear the dead tone ringing in his ear. When people started making their way back from lunch, Jim got out of his trance and put the phone back onto its receiver. His heart was beating harshly against his chest . He felt heavy, like a weight had been put onto his shoulders. Hearing Dwight say " I miss you" was everything Jim had wanted, but him suddenly disconnecting the phone was a shock. 

Dwight had so many weeks to figure out what his feelings were since Jim confessed his love and they kissed. Why was he playing Jim and telling him that he missed him and then hanging up on him? Jim was filled with anger, but most of all heartache. He knows that he made Dwight's life hard, but did he really deserve this much pain? 

He got up from his desk, there was still ten minutes until lunch was over. "I'll be right back" he told Karen, before rushing out of the building. He pulled out his cellphone, quickly pulling out Pam's contact information. "Pam" Jim said, before filling her in with what just happened. "Jim, look I know you're mad, but Dwight's confused. He's always been the alpha male kind of guy and having any type of feelings for you is probably a lot for him" Pam told Jim, trying to get him to see Dwight's side. "Pam I get it, but I can't handle this. I moved all the way to Stamford because I couldn't handle not having Dwight. I feel like he's playing me" Jim admitted, pinching the top of his nose. "He's not, i'll talk with him okay? I promise you he wouldn't do that" Pam told him. Jim hummed in agreement, "okay, I know I was being irrational. I know he wouldn't, I'm just hurting" he told her, a sad smile on his face. "I know Jim, but it will be okay" Pam told him, wishing she could hug him and comfort him in person. "Thanks Beesly, love you" he told her, "love you too" she responded, before hanging up. 

After the call with Jim, Pam made her way out of the break room to talk with Dwight, except Dwight and his stuff were no longer at his desk. "Of course, just my luck" Pam thought to herself. She would now have to go and find Dwight.


	5. Hatching a Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Another short chapter, but a longer one will be coming soon and the angst will be resolved finally! Pam and Dwight's friendship on the show is the cutest, so I wanted to add that dynamic into my story. Hope you guys enjoy this and thanks for reading!

"Hey Michael" Pam said, making her way into her boss's office. "Hello Pamela, what can I do for you today?" Michael asked, tipping an imaginary hat and talking in a fake British accent. Pam sighed, before speaking; "Dwight had a sudden sales meeting he had to go to and he left during lunch, but he left some important paperwork so he asked me to drop it off for him. So can I go?" Pam asked. Michael looked at her with a confused expression. "He asked you?" Michael asked, but then shook his head. "Sure go ahead, but tell him next time to tell me when he has to go on a sales call." Pam nodded and made her way out of his office, "thanks Michael, I will" she said, but she really had no intention of doing so. She quickly gathered her stuff and grabbed random pieces of paper from Dwight's desk, so that her lie seemed believable. 

As she got into her car, she took her phone out of her purse. "Dwight, come on, pick up" she said, starting to get exasperated. The call went to voicemail, so she dialed again over and over. After the fifth attempt she realized it was fruitless, so she pulled out of the lot and made her way to Schrute Farms. That had to be where he was right? 

Pam's intuition was right, as she pulled in she saw Dwight's cherry red car glinting in the sun. Pam quickly made her way out of the car, rushing up to the front door. "Dwight" she called out, reaching up to knock on the door. "I know what happened, please let me in" she pleaded, hoping that Dwight would actually let her in. 

Dwight made his way to the front door at a slow pace. "Hey Pam" he said, his voice was monotone and his face lacked any emotion. "Oh Dwight" Pam said, frowning as she saw her friend in such pain. She reached over to hug him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. He slouched down to hug her, burying his face into her shoulder. She could feel his tears before she heard the sob leave his mouth. "It's okay" she said, raking her hands through his hair. 

They stood there for a while, until Dwight's tears started to seize and his breathing returned to normal. "I'm sorry for getting your sweater all dirty" Dwight said, looking up to see the wet patch on her shoulder. Pam let out a smile "It's okay, I'll wash it when I get home." Dwight nodded, before gesturing her to come inside his house. "I really like your house, it's beautiful" Pam said, admiring the homeliness of his house. Dwight softly smiled at this, but didn't go into a full history lesson of his farm. He just didn't feel like it. 

They made their way to the couch, Dwight sullenly leading the way and sitting down. The two sat in silence, before Pam shifted her body to face him. "Jim told me you called him and told him you missed him" Pam quietly told him. Dwight sat there motionless, staring into space before speaking. "Did he tell you I hung up?" he asked, his voice sour. "Yes" Pam said, nodding. Dwight shut his eyes closed, his face contorted in a painful expression. Pam took his hand, holding it gently. "He's not mad at you Dwight. If you called again, he'd pick up" she told him, slightly fibbing. She knew Jim was kind of angry about Dwight saying "I miss you" and then hanging up, but she knew he would get over it soon. 

Dwight looked up at her hopefully, "yeah?, you think he would?" he asked. Pam nodded with a smile, "of course he would Dwight. He loves you." Dwight nodded and smiled his first genuinely happy smile since lunch. "I think I love him too" Dwight said. He seemed scared to say this, but also weirdly comfortable with the fact. "Dwight! that's so exciting" Pam said, her jaw hanging open in surprise, grabbing his forearms in excitement. Dwight held onto her, smiling back at her. "Don't tell him though, I don't think i'm ready yet" he told her, a serious expression returning to his face. "Of course I won't, don't worry Dwight" Pam reassured him. 

The two spent the rest of the evening planning the best way for Dwight to tell Jim his feelings. Pam looked out and saw how dark it had gotten. "Oh, I better get going" Pam said, getting up and grabbing her purse. Dwight led her to the front door. "Thanks for everything" Dwight said, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't have to do any of this, but you are and I really appreciate it" he told her. "Of course Dwight, you're my friend" she told him, a smile on her face. The two briefly hugged and Pam waved goodbye as she climbed into her car. Dwight smiled as he watched her leave. Today wasn't absolute shit, he thought. He finally admitted his feelings and got closer with Pam, two huge steps for him to take and he was glad he did. With that he made his way inside. He would need a good night of rest for what he had planned for tomorrow.


	6. Waiting For You

The faint humming of birds lulled Jim back to sleep when he woke up suddenly at 5 in the morning. He lay back down once he saw he still had more than 3 hours until he had to get ready and go to work. 

In Scranton it was the hum of a car engine coming to life that woke up Mose. He peered out the window to see his cousin Dwight backing out of the dirt road and speeding out of the farm.

Dwight fidgeted all night, restless in his sleep. The clock said 3 Am and Dwight decided that was an acceptable amount to time to get out of bed. He reached over for his phone, squinting at the bright light and began typing a message to Pam.

Dwight to Pam: Going to see Jim. Driving now. 

After sending the message, he scrambled out of bed. It took him a minute to adjust to the darkness, but he made quick work of putting his suit and tie on, the moonlight guiding him. He rushed out of the house, jumped into his car and quickly backed out. He had to see Jim and tell him he loves him, he couldn't deal with it any longer. He started the serene drive to Stamford, the almost 3 hour drive gave him enough time to think and for him to figure out the location of where Jim lived. He called his best guy for these type of jobs and received an answer of Jim's location about an hour into the drive. Dwight pumped his fist into the air, this was all going to plan.

Jim woke with a start again when he heard the sound of a car screeching and knocking over a bunch of trash cans. Jim rubbed his eyes and let out a grunt of disapproval. What was going on out there? he wondered. His question was answered 3 minutes later, when he heard a fierce knocking against his door. Jim quickly jumped out of bed, making his way to his door. "Coming" he whisper-yelled, so that his neighbors wouldn't wake up.

The sight that greeted him was not something he seemed to be able to process in his head. It was Dwight. All dressed up in his work clothes, standing at his door in Stamford, Connecticut. Jim's mouth was wide open in shock, as he stood still looking at Dwight. Dwight stared back, slightly out of breath. He scanned Jim and saw him wearing flannel pants and a loose grey t-shirt. "I could've been a burglar" Dwight said, breaking the silence, "you didn't even bring a knife to defend yourself." 

Jim couldn't believe he was being scolded by the man who he had left Scranton because of and of all things he was being scolded on, it was about how unprepared Jim was for a burglar. "What are you doing here" Jim asked, his brows furrowed and his face resigned. "I came here to test your response time and you failed" Dwight said, trying to lighten the mood, but also seriously warn Jim about being better at arming himself. "Dwight" Jim warned, his hand on the door, reading to close it if he needed to. "Okay, I love you" Dwight admitted. "I love you Jim Halpert and you should move back to Scranton because I miss you and the temp could never be a replacement for you" Dwight concluded, a determined expression on his face, after he finished yelling at Jim his love confession.

Jim stared at Dwight, awestruck by his announcement. He felt bare under Dwight's intense gaze. "You drove all the way here and knocked over a bunch of trashcans to tell me that?" Jim asked. "Uh yeah" Dwight nodded, still feeling oddly confident, although he was unsure where this was going. "You're crazy" Jim said with a smile, reaching up to pull Dwight in by the shoulders. "I love you" Jim said before bending down to kiss Dwight and hold him as close as he could. Dwight tugged on Jim's hair, letting a relieved moan out against Jim's lips. "I love you so much" Jim repeated in between kisses. "I love you too" Dwight said, a raw and vulnerable expression on his face. Jim reached out to hold Dwight's cheek in his hand and cup it. 

"I can't believe you're here" Jim admitted. "Do you want me to pinch you?" Dwight asked. Jim chuckled, "violence isn't always the answer Dwight." Dwight huffed in disagreement, "okay Jim who's the one who's taken self-defense classes? Not you, so I would I know that it is the answer" Dwight said smugly. Jim shook his head, he really had to fall in love with Dwight didn't he? "Stop smiling Jim" Dwight said, before reaching up to kiss Jim again. "Mm can't help it" Jim replied, a cheeky grin on his face. 

"Is this your kitchen?" Dwight asked, breaking from the kissing and turning his head to the side. "Um yeah" Jim said, a confused expression on his face. "Your place in Scranton was bigger" Dwight noted. Jim's eyebrows raised at this. "Are you dissing my apartment so you can convince me to move back to Scranton?" Jim asked, a surprised expression on his face. Dwight looked at him sheepishly. "Maybe? Is it working?" Dwight responded, perking up. "I- um" Jim started, but then paused for a second to formulate what he wanted to say. 

He was to happy to have Dwight here with him, but was he ready to just leave Stamford? He just got here and had a new promotion. Jim's real fear was Dwight realizing he didn't actually want this and that he made a mistake, leaving Jim to pick up the pieces. "Dwight I have to be honest with you. I want to be with you, but i'm not ready to move back yet" Jim said, staring down at Dwight. Dwight looked and felt crestfallen, "Jim" he started to say. Jim interrupted him, "It's not you. Okay that sounded so cliche. I just need time. This is a lot and I'm so happy you're here and I want to be with you, but I need time. Dwight solemnly nodded. Jim was right, this needed time and it was never good to jump into relationships. Look at Kelly and Ryan. I'd prefer not he told his brain before responding to Jim. "You're right, we can wait... I'll wait for you." Jim smiled at him, reaching down to kiss Dwight again. Dwight kissed back, but it lacked the enthusiasm he had before. He thought coming to Jim and confessing his love would have a romantic and happy ending, that was quick and easy. This was anything but that, but he was willing to wait for Jim. He had hurt Jim by rejecting him. Jim needed time and Dwight would give that to him.


	7. Transfer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will finally work out in this chapter! Think I am going to do one more chapter that will just be pure fluff. Hope you guys enjoy this, thank you for reading!

Jim went through a roller coaster of emotions when Jan came in telling them that the Scranton branch was closing and they would be possibly absorbing some of the staff. 

Jim and Dwight had started a tentative relationship that was mostly them texting through the day and calling each other when they got off work. It was more like they were friends and while both wanted more, Jim was apprehensive. He wanted to protect himself from the heartbreak that he felt was inevitable if he fully committed to the relationship. 

The day ended with the turn of events that Josh had betrayed the company and that it would be Stamford that was closing. Jim was left with muddled feelings. If he went back to Scranton he knew he would automatically become reabsorbed into the cycle of being obsessed with Dwight. He would begin the cycle of ignoring his work in favor of coming up with pranks, observing Dwight constantly, and Dwight already inhabited so much of his mind and heart was he really ready to let his heart be on the line again in Scranton? He called Pam explaining his issue. Pam told him he was being silly, an idiot, and other choice words he would not be repeating. "What are you doing? Dwight loves you and you love him. Come to Scranton and come back to me!" she yelled in his ear. "Okay, okay Beesly" Jim chuckled, "you're right. I have to take a risk... again.""Yes you do" Pam excitedly stated, shocked by how stubborn and dumb her best friend could be sometimes. 

At the end of the day before leaving Jim told Karen that he would be taking the job in Scranton and he hoped she would too. Jim decided to wait to tell Dwight. He wanted to surprise him about him moving back. He recruited Pam and Michael to not tell Dwight. 

He made his way to the office the next week, when the merger day was happening. Dwight's face dropped in shock, but he composed himself quickly. When Jim made his way to his old desk he greeted Dwight. "Fact: I am older. I am wiser. Do not mess with me" Dwight said. "Okay sounds good" Jim said, looking at Dwight's forehead. Dwight yelled at him for not meeting his eye-line. Jim couldn't help himself from fooling with Dwight right away. 

Jim was forced to move to a new desk, when Ryan decided that he would remain in Jim's old seat, even thought he was back. Sitting in front of Dwight all day was making it even harder for Jim to concentrate. He was struggling to be back in the same office that he had fallen in love. 

The day was about as big of a disaster as he expected, but he was mainly able to avoid Dwight due to the constant distractions provided by Michael. He had to admit thought he really did miss the chaos of working here.

When most people had left and bid him goodnight, Jim made his way to the parking lot. He got a call from Karen as he entered the car, he talked with her for a bit, until he saw Dwight walking to his car. "Hey I'll call you back" he told her, rushing to get out of his car and get to where Dwight was. 

"Hey Dwight" Jim said, putting his hands in his pockets. "You're bad at showing love" Dwight yelled, surprising himself by his outburst, but he had been on edge all day, hoping and waiting that Jim would pull him aside or something and tell him how glad he was to be in Scranton and with Dwight, but it never happened. "What?" Jim said, pretending to be confused. Dwight shoved past him and made his way into his car. "You heard me" he said, turning around, his face filled with fury. Jim ran over to where Dwight was. "Wait" Jim said, running over to Dwight and grabbing his elbow. Dwight tried to fling his arm out of Jim's grip, but Jim held on. "Dwight just listen to me. I do love you, I'm sorry I was just being weak because dammit Dwight you rejected me twice and before that you hated me and you had every right to, so I didn't want to get hurt. I thought if I kept you at a distance I'd be fine, but this is terrible. I'd let you break my heart a million times, I just need to be with you" he said. Jim's face was stripped raw, letting all of his emotions out. He had been an idiot to ignore Dwight and just act like he didn't miss him. He thought by being casual it would make things easier for him, but he didn't think about how Dwight probably thought this was a rejection from Jim. Dwight looked back at Jim, "you're stupid" he said. He glared at Jim for a second, but a small smile broke through his face. "I'm not going to break your heart okay Jim" Dwight said sincerely, getting closer to Jim. "Just make me your dumb boyfriend and kiss me idiot." Jim smiled at Dwight, "so you're calling yourself dumb?" Jim asked, a smirk on his face. "Idiot" Dwight said, before meeting Jim's lips halfway and kissing him. 

"I love you and i'm sorry" Jim said. "I love you too" Dwight said, smiling at his official boyfriend. The two kissed slowly in the parking lot. "I'll come over to your house okay Dwight, but I have to do something real quick" he said. Dwight nodded and kissed him again, "okay" he responded. Jim smiled before making his way into his car. He called Pam and quickly told her he finally made Dwight his. He told her to call Dwight to get the full story, he had to do something really quick. 

He called Karen and told her the truth. "I don't want to lead you on" he told her truthfully. "Okay Jim" she responded, disappointed in the turn of events. She stayed in Scranton for a while, but after seeing no future there, she decided to move on and get a better job as a manger. Jim felt relieved when he told her the truth. He liked Karen a lot and if he hadn't been so in love with Dwight maybe they could have been something. But for Jim it was Dwight who he loved and who he couldn't get out of his head. He smiled to himself as he started driving to Dwight's house. He was happy to be back in Scranton. It was home for him and always would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I am going to end this work on this chapter, but if I think of a better way to end it then I will write that. Having a bit of writers block with this story, so I think I'll focus on some other writing. Thanks for reading!


End file.
